Aston Villa have had a "poor" start to the season, in the words of head coach Unai Emery. Holding onto a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United when down to ten men on the opening matchday of the Premier League schedule, they have since lost 1-0 to **Brentford**and 3-0 against Crystal Palace.
The Villans endured a similarly stifling start to the summer transfer window in the boardroom. It did not end in the best way possible, but late activity might have given the squad the stability it needed.
Much of the transfer window was a muted affair for the Villans. The first signing for the first team was Yasin Özcan. The defender joined from Kasımpaşa, but he went out on loan to Anderlecht.
The only other arrival in July was Marco Bizot. The shot stopper came from **Brest**for an undisclosed fee. As a deputy behind Emiliano Martinez, he would not have expected to receive many minutes. However, he has already played twice at Villa Park amid the uncertainty over the Argentine's future.
**Evann Guessand**grabbed attention as a £26 million signing from Nice. He is a flexible forward who plays centrally or on the flanks and could be a project player to take minutes behind Ollie Watkins.
However, Emery expressed his desire for more men to pad out the squad numbers during the final weeks of August. The board backed him with three more incomings at the start of September.
Victor Lindelof left **Man United**after his contract expired, arriving in the Midlands as a free agent.
Following him is Jadon Sancho, who has joined on a year-long loan deal from the Red Devils. After a loan at **Chelsea**and being dumped in a 'bomb squad' at Old Trafford, it could be his last chance.
A final loanee is Harvey Elliott, who has left **Liverpool**for more minutes. However, there is also an obligation to buy the player for £35 million in a package that includes buy-back and sell-on clauses.
The final weeks of August saw some major outgoings from the team that had created concern.
Birmingham boy Jacob Ramsey played 167 times for his boyhood club, and he made ten appearances for the team in the Champions League last term. However, he dropped down the depth chart after a series of foot injuries and sadly said goodbye, signing for Newcastle United for a fee of £39 million.
The next week, two players departed with transfers to LaLiga. Leander Dendoncker decided to join Real Oviedo and Alex Moreno moved back to his home country, getting on the books at Girona.
These three permanent departures were on top of a variety of exits that stripped the squad of depth.
Academy graduate Kaine Kesler-Hayden has joined up with Frank Lampard at Coventry City. Last term, he was at Preston North End, winning the club’s young player of the season award.
Second choice shot stopper Robin Olsen and Philippe Coutinho, who has not kicked a ball for the Villans since August 2023, have left the club after contract expiries for **Malmo**and Vasco de Gama.
Leon Bailey went on loan to Roma, failing to make good on a contract extension in February 2024.
Above all, Villa did not have the resources to hold onto two loanees from the winter window that propelled the group to a strong finish in the 2024/25 campaign. Marcus Rashford returned to **Man United**to go back out on loan to Barcelona, while Marco Asensio is on the books at Fenerbahce.
Signing of the summer
For most of the summer, Guessand would have been the outstanding signing of the transfer window. He does not boast the most impressive output in his career, but a 12-goal **Ligue 1**campaign at **Nice**reflected how he is a player slowly pulling some promising tools together at the highest level.
However, the best acquisition for the Villans might turn out to be their permanent player in waiting.
**Harvey Elliott**has been waiting for his chance. At Liverpool, he was never going to get a shot at being the right winger ahead of the talismanic Mo Salah, while Florian Wirtz is the latest attacking midfielder to dent the hopes of the 22-year-old for more minutes with the Reds in a more central role.
On the other hand, Bailey's exit left a clear hole for his qualities in the Midlands. John McGinn can make do as a right midfielder, but Elliott could quickly earn the right to have a role as a creative force.
The Englishman is buzzing to have a project where he can kick on at club level after starring for the England Under-21s at the Euros in June. He is entering a squad full of runners, carriers, and shooters, but not so much panache: his lock-picking traits might hold the key to turning around the team's form.